Supreme Court denies Rowland’s petition for appeal

By Neil Vigdor

Published 3:46 pm, Monday, March 20, 2017

Photo: Jessica Hill / Associated Press File

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Former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, right, and his wife, Patty, arrive at federal court in New Haven, Conn. on March 18, 2015. The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear Rowlands appeal of his convictions for conspiring to hide his work on two congressional campaigns after having gone to prison for corruption. less

Former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, right, and his wife, Patty, arrive at federal court in New Haven, Conn. on March 18, 2015. The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear Rowlands appeal of his convictions ... more

President Donald Trump hands his pen to Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Mick Mulvaney (front-L), after signing an executive order entitled, 'Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch', beside members of his cabinet in the Oval Office of the White House on March 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. Also pictured are Administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon (2-L), Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke (3-L), US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (4-L), Secretary of Housing and Urban Developement (HUD) Ben Carson (Back C), Vice President Mike Pence (3-R), Secretary of Energy Rick Perry (2-R) and Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao (R). less

President Donald Trump hands his pen to Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Mick Mulvaney (front-L), after signing an executive order entitled, 'Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the ... more

Photo: Michael Reynolds-Pool /Getty Images

Supreme Court denies Rowland’s petition for appeal

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John G. Rowland probably wishes he had taken the deal — 18 months in prison in return for pleading guilty to campaign fraud.

The twice-incarcerated governor would be free right now.

But at great cost in time and money, Rowland played the legal equivalent of a lottery ticket and lost Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court denied his petition to take up his appeal.

The ruling effectively means that Rowland, 59, who has two years left on his 30-month prison sentence, has exhausted his options in his protracted defense.

This is the second prison stint for Rowland, who resigned as governor in 2004 and served 10 months in prison for accepting gifts from a state contractor.

In contrast to his first brush with the law, when he pleaded guilty, Rowland chose to fight charges that he concealed his role as an off-the-books campaign operative for Republican congressional hopeful Lisa Wilson-Foley in 2012. It’s been three years since his indictment, reported rejection of a plea deal and conviction for campaign fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

Rowland appealed to the nation’s highest court last year, hoping it would hear his last-ditch appeal like it did with former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. He even hired the same lawyer as McDonnell, whose conviction for grafting was vacated by the court. That lawyer abandoned the case for a job in Donald Trump’s Justice Department.

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